Chapter 3 Sloka 9 – Karma Yoga
Sloka
Yajnaarthaat karmano’nyatra loko’yam karmabandhanah;
Tadartham karma kaunteya muktasangah samaachara.
Translation
The world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of Lord;
Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform action for that sake alone, free from attachment!
Interpretation
In this shloka Lord Krishna talks about actions that needs to be performed for God. He says that if anyone does actions for the sake of the Lord, he is not bound. When his heart is not bound then his heart is purified by performing actions for the sake of the Lord. Lord Krishna also adds that whenever this spirit of unselfishness does not govern the action, such actions bind one to worldliness. When the actions are binded to worldliness they are bound to give a negative impact to the individual, however good or glorious those actions may be.
Extending Interpretation to Mankind’s Life!
Ask yourself a question! Whenever you do an activity, whom do you do it for? Do you do it for yourself or do you do it in the name of Almighty who has created that work for you? The answer is simple. Many actions we do, we do it for ourselves. If we do the actions for ourselves what would be the result of it? The result of it would be negative, however good those actions might be. Let me explain this by taking a small example.
Suppose you don’t like Mathematics, and your parents force you to learn it. How would you approach it? You forcebly learn it to write the exams and pass in them. Will it bring any good to you? The answer is No. When you are learning Mathematics, it is assumed that you are being directed by Almighty to learn that subject. So, if you learn the subject in the name of God, every bit of it will go into your mind and you will enjoy and master the subject. Our approach to everything we do should be in that direction only.
Whenever you come across something, it happens with the will of God. So, we need to approach it and do it for the sake of God and not for yourself. You will automatically learn to do the tasks in the name of God if you remain unattached with the worldly desires and the fruits you get from those actions. Such actions which are not worldly will take you close to God and will give you ultimate happiness.
